


The Storm

by SarcasticMudkip



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Blood, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mention of scars, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23636050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticMudkip/pseuds/SarcasticMudkip
Summary: A recurring battle atop Ploymous Mountain, Link faces a dreaded beast once more. However, this blood moon, there is a new factor to consider...
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 181





	The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I really like how this one turned out! Check me out on tumblr @botwstoriesandsuch if you want more :P

The rain poured against his skin. Lightning struck in the distance, closely followed by a roar of thunder. For now, the sky was dull and overcast, the only colors being the murky grey shine of the storm. It would not last. Beneath the rushing clouds, the glimmer of the moon could be seen. It was full, and cast its light down on the earth below. Only it wasn’t white or silver, instead, it shone a blood red. 

He watched from above, close to the mountain’s peak. On the ledge, he could get a good look on the field below. The grass was green, and dancing in the wind. Droplets pattered against large cerulean rocks that surrounded the area. Pine trees shivered with their evergreen tusks. Pink and purple bushes scattered the ground, strangely looking like coral. Ironically appropriate, considering this was the land of the Zora. The clouds were now rushing against the sky at a violent speed, specks of ash started to litter the air. Malice sparked around him, glowing like lanterns, as if celebrating the event that was to come. Soon, the colors of the sky shifted from pitch to fire, the air now shrouded in scarlet shades. Link stood on Ploymus Mountain, waiting for the world to come to life.

In the center of the field below, malice began to swirl. Tendrils, thick and smokey, trampled across the grass, decaying the flowers in its wake. The mass collected into a large conglomerate of black, red, and magenta. It rose and expanded with hypnotic swirls. Its shape pulsed as it took to a large, animal-like form. Smoke became flesh, and flesh became monster, as the beast was formed before his very eyes. Its hooves pounded against the ground, kicking up dirt, stomps causing the surrounding trees to shudder. It lifted its head to the scarlet sky and roared, its echo melding with the boom of thunder. The smoke and fog that had surrounded it now subsided. The malice that formed its body cleared. From the ashes of the blood moon emerged the beast, the Lynel.

The storm was now at its crescendo, the wind screamed in his ears. The rain soaked his clothes, the Champion’s Tunic hugging his skin. His hood was begging to billow in the wind, the edges of its black cloth blending with the night. But a single sword kept the hood fitted against his back. The sword that seals the darkness. 

The moon now waned back to its pale complexion, the sky darkened back to pitch. Winds lowered their screams, fading back to baleful whispers. The rain and thunder continued, but compared to the crimson show that had just happened, the forces of nature were welcome. 

Link observed the creature that had been born out of the dark. Its body was the color of rust, its silver weapons gleamed in the rain. A sword, a bow, a shield, along with its horns and teeth, and hooves that wouldn’t hesitate to crush his skull. Overall, an ordinary Lynel, nothing new here. Wind rushed through the beast’s crimson mane, tufts of red hair covered its arms and legs as well. Soon, it turned its gaze towards the towering cliffs near the summit. Its sharp teeth grinded, an itch in the back of its throat asked for blood. At the top was a figure, covered with a black hood, tanned trousers, and bright blue tunic. The Lynel’s eerie emerald eyes glared up at the boy, daring him to remove his hood and stare back. 

Perhaps it would be the last thing they ever saw.

Now the world was silent. The only sound Link could hear was that of his own, rhythmic heartbeat.

He sprinted towards the beast. 

Still not looking it in the eye, Link bolted down the mountain, leaping from rock to rock. His sword was still sheathed on his back, for he knew from experience that closing the distance between them was life or death. If the beast went for its bow, its shock arrows would be fatal in this rain. The Lynel gave a familiar roar. Burly arms reached for the arsenal on its back.

_Strike now!_

There were several advantages to being armed with only a single sword. It kept him light on his feet, the slim sheathe fastened securely so it wouldn’t fall off should he tumble, roll, or dodge out of danger. Furthermore, his speed was not burdened by too much weight on his back, for strength is only as good as the swiftness you have to strike a blow. And of course, a single blade meant you only had to focus on one thing. Sinking the sword into skin.

His feet landed on the soft grass, he was now only a few paces away from the Lynel. With one fluid motion, Link reached back and unsheathed his sword. It gleamed with a blinding light, distracting the beast for a moment. There was still some distance between the two. With the first swing, he flung a beam of light at the Lynel’s face. It traveled across the sky, glimmering like a star, with the speed of an arrow. It successfully hit its target, slashing the beast’s face. Before it even had time to process the pain or react, Link ran up to fight head on. Using his momentum, he thrust the sword’s edge into one of the beast’s legs, putting all his weight and strength behind it. The Lynel bellowed in pain. It finally reached for its weapons; a sword, with a blade so big you could dance on it, and a shield, thick enough that you could forge a whole set of armour from its metal. 

The beast raised its arms into the air, a motion intent on slamming Link from both sides. It’s weapons cut through the air at impossible speeds. But just before the blade made contact with his body, time slowed. Link steadied his legs, then performed a backflip, dodging gracefully out of the Lynel’s clutches. In midair, the world was still moving at a snail’s pace, he could see the beast in the motion of attacking an assailant who was no longer in front of it. When his feet connected back with the earth, he rushed forward, delivering a flurry of attacks with the opening the Lynel had created for itself. With each blow, the sword gleamed a sapphire glow. After a series of deadly strikes, the rain poured back to its regular pace. 

The Lynel regained its composure due to the new wounds created on its abdomen. Now enraged, it quickened its strikes, slashing violently in any direction in order to get a hit on Link. He dodged, jumped and rolled. It was a dance in the rain, his footwork being the only thing keeping him alive. With every swing the Lynel made, Link pivoted, backflipped, and dodged, attacking the openings. The beast’s rust and crimson colored fur matched well with the bloody wounds it was now receiving. 

Ruby and sapphire clashed on the field. A blue blade glowed against the black of night. He was doing well, despite the fact he was playing with death. Link hadn’t been hit yet, and it would hopefully stay that way, since one blow could cause his demise. But this had to be done. 

Every blood moon, the path to the infamous Shatterback Point would be blocked by the presence of this beast. The Zora had all but given up on reclaiming their favourite diving point, for every effort to kill the beast would be erased with its revival by Ganon. It wasn’t worth it, risking the lives of their soldiers with an unstoppable threat like that. Furthermore, the Lynel was known to stride across the mountain, so any traveler or unlucky explorer searching for supplies or ingredients would instead be met with a bloody surprise. The best they could do was stay away, the only thing keeping the beast from the rest of the Domain was the towering waterfall by Lulu Lake. What kind of hero would he be if he couldn’t take care of this problem? What kind of hero would let the Zora sit in fear of the Lynel forever?

_If I can’t beat a Lynel with ease, what hope does anyone have that I can defeat the Calamity?_

And so here he was, banging repeatedly on death’s door, to kill a beast again and again. The rain poured against Link’s hood, the cloth now free to billow in the wind. They continued their fight, the stakes didn’t lessen each time they clashed. Link’s stamina was starting to give out, but it was almost finished. The Lynel’s movements were starting to slow, its wounds now gaping, rain washing blood onto the grass. Suddenly, the beast’s eyes flickered. It stopped attacking Link, sword and shield drooping at its side. Link watched with a careful eye, keeping his own sword at the ready. 

_What was this?_

The beast placed its weapons on its back, then set its arms on the ground, as if to bow. Link didn’t understand at first, that is until he saw the Lynel’s baring teeth and bent hind legs.

_Oh sh—_

The Lynel lurched forth, thundering across the plain, ready to charge into him. At the last second, Link leaped out of the way, the world started to slow once more.

_That was close. Some surprise attack, I’m almost impressed. But they missed…_

Link’s boots landed on the grass. Looking back in the direction of the beast, he expected to see its lumbering figure. He expected to see the Lynel, now exhausted from its wounds, lying collapsed in the dirt. At the very least, he expected to just see the Lynel. Instead he saw something much worse. 

The beast, still dripping blood across the field, had continued charging forward. In its sights, was a tall blur of red and white. A silver and turquoise rapier shimmered in the wind. The blur had its own teeth bared, their smile sparkled like a star.

_Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno_

_Sidon?!_

From Sidon’s stance, it looked like he meant to meet the Lynel head on. But there was no way he could handle such a direct blow so close to the mountain’s edge. Link frantically ran after the beast, but it was too far ahead, too far to reach with his sword. Even a beam of light couldn’t get there fast enough. While he tried to stay silent in order to convey his strength and composure, it was hard to keep his oath when he was about to watch one of his closest friends die.

“SIDON!”

Prince Sidon turned his attention towards the sudden shout. There was the Hylian Champion, sprinting towards him, fumbling with something on his belt. 

“DON’T RUN! KEEP STILL ‘TILL I SAY SO!”

 _Keep still? Shouldn’t I at least attempt to fight the Lynel?_ Sidon thought. Looking back ahead, the beast was still barrelling towards him, quick as lightning. _No. This isn’t either of our first brushes with danger. I trust Link, with every scale of my being!_ Sidon gave a nod in Link’s direction, along with a reassuring smile, despite the adrenaline and slight dread he was feeling. 

Link was running as fast as his legs would carry him. He had unfurled his hood, allowing the rain to soak the rest of his body. He was desperately trying to unclip the item from his belt. He hadn’t really tried it out yet, he had just gotten the upgrade a week ago, but no time like the present! The Lynel was almost at its target, Sidon kept his eyes locked on Link, with his thoughtful, golden eyes. He also wore his unwavering smile. His beaming teeth put the moon to shame— _**GAH! NOT THE TIME LINK!**_

Finally, he got it off his waist, the Sheikah Slate. Hurriedly swiping through his runes, Link picked up the pace, there was no way he would make it in time. 

_Would this even work? If Sidon moves too soon, it might not kill it, then we’re both dead. Is the upgrade strong even enough for a monster like that? It’s a gamble at best. How much time would this— here it is!_

Selecting the rune, Link held the Sheikah Slate in front of him. The Lynel was about two seconds away from Sidon’s face. 

_Purah don’t fail me now!_

Link pressed his thumb against the screen, allowing a stream of yellow light to fly out, towards Sidon and the Lynel. 

From Sidon’s point of view, Link was running towards him with a strange rock in his hand. It looked familiar…but he could reminisce later. For now, the Lynel was almost on him, the world seemed to slow, he could feel the beast’s hot breath against his face. He was close enough to reach out and touch its yellow fur.

Wait… _yellow?_

“SIDON! MOVE NOW!”

The monster was stopped dead in its tracks. Wait, was it dead? It’s claws were still outstretched, sharp white teeth bared, ready to tear him open. What did this mean? He couldn’t hear much, there was a strange sound amidst the downpour of rain, like a frog croaking, or bird with a high pitched song. It sang, _beep, beep, Beep, Beep, Beep-BEep-BEEp-BEEP, BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP—_

“SIDON!”

Suddenly, he was shoved from the side. His rapier fell out of his grasp, Link wrapped his arms around Prince Sidon as he tumbled into the dirt. 

The noise stopped, the Lynel’s crimson mane returned, the yellow hue gone. It continued its charge forward, like nothing had ever happened. To everyone’s surprise, the beast’s momentum continued off the side of the mountain, for no Zora was there to stop its fall. The Lynel fell down towards Lulu Lake below. It clawed at nothing, hooves scraping at wind. It gave out one more deafening roar, echoing through the air. The final sound was that of a soft thud from far below. 

_‘Till next time then._ Link thought

Link had landed next to Sidon. They were both out of breath, adrenaline still coarsing through their veins. Sidon got on his feet, still looking at the cliff the beast had just dove off of. Turning back to Link, Sidon sputtering.

“Link why, how in Hylia did you— t-that was amazing! But what are you even doing here?”

The Hylian Champion sat on the grass, the rain soaking under his tunic. He held out his hands, putting his thumb around his fingers to sign.

_Stasis. Sheikah Technology. Temporarily stops things._

Sidon nodded, “Right, but why in the world are you here?”

_Lynel causes a lot of trouble._

“But we haven’t had any reports about that monster in weeks! How could—” 

He stopped mid-sentence. “Tonight was the blood moon, you…you’ve been slaying it every blood moon, haven’t you? Oh Link, why would you burden yourself with such a thing…”

He extended his arm down, helping Link up. The rain was starting to dwindle. The winds blew through Link’s hood, his blue and red tunic contrasting with the ground.

_Red? Red…RED…BLOOD!_

“AHH!! Link! Holy Hylia, when you knocked me out of the way, the Lynel’s claws must’ve—”

_I’m just gonna. Rest. For a second… We can catch up later…_

“LINK!”

. . . . . 

The thing about waterbeds is that when you wake up abruptly from nightmares or dreams, you start bouncing around like an idiot, lessening any tension or fear you might have. This was something Link discovered in real time, as he awoke in Zora’s Domain.

It was around noon, the sun was high, and the clouds had long departed. Cerulean architecture surrounded him, with pearl, lapis, and luminous accents. Out the arched windows, he could see there was no rain, but the sound of rushing water continued. The streams that filled the aqueducts gurgled and giggled, a cool aura surrounded the whole palace. Link was in some sort of bedroom, a table on his left had some oils and bandages sitting on its surface. Still bouncing up and down, he began lifting up his shirt, notably blue, the same shade as his tunic. He looked to where he had been feeling some aching, on his left side were three large, deep scars. 

“Don’t worry, they’ll fade.”

Looking up, Link saw Sidon standing at the door. They both smiled. Link moved his other arm from under the covers. 

_It’s fine. I’ll add them to my collection._

Sidon chuckled. He walked over, then sat at the foot of the bed, careful not to let Link bounce towards the ceiling. They just stared at each other for a while. Link allowed himself to gaze at Sidon’s big, golden eyes. They glimmered like the sun. Many might not have noticed it, but Link saw Sidon’s expression falter, just a bit.

“Link, how can anyone ever thank you?”

Link pushed the rest of the covers off him, bringing his knees to his chest.

_It’s my duty. To protect Hyrule. And save the people I care about._

“But Link, you keep…” Sidon looked down for a moment, before returning his gaze, “I’ve seen your scars. You have so many, it’s not safe for you to keep working yourself like this. You can’t keep thrusting yourself into battle.”

Link tilted his head. _I’m the only one who’s strong enough to. I kept killing the Lynel because I wanted to take care of…_ Link stopped for a moment. _All the Zora people._ Link’s face had a slight tint. _I don’t want anyone to get hurt._

Sidon gave a deep sigh. Then, he looked back at Link, moving himself closer.

“Link, you truly are incredible, and amazing, and brave, and kind, and true, and wonderful…”

If he wasn’t blushing already, he was now. Link didn’t have his hood to hide his rosy cheeks in. Maybe if he just “casually” hugged Sidon he could hide there…

Sidon continued to carefully move closer. 

“…and strong, and diligent, and clever, and dependable, and skilled and–”

_Thank you very much Sidon! That’s very kind! You too! Same with you!_

His face was now on fire. Was it possible to show his flustered speech through Hylian sign language alone? Anymore of this and his face would be the same color as Sidon’s scales.

“Yes well, the point is Link, I’ve always…admired you for the marvelous person that you are. And I know you’ve already been burdened with plenty of things, from Ruta, to the Lynels, to the Calamity, but might I just ask one more thing of you?”

Sidon leaned down, softly placing his hands on Link’s shoulders.

“Could you take care of yourself, and stay safe? For me?”

Link stared up into his glimmering, gold eyes. They were calm and sincere, nothing like the storm he had just fought through.

“I know you’re strong, but please, don’t go running off to your next adventure just yet. Stay at the Domain and regain your strength. Allow me to take care of you, as a simple thanks. We can’t…I can’t have you dying.”

Without another thought, Link flung his whole body onto Sidon, locking him into a warm embrace. Sidon reached down and returned the hug. Link’s sapphire shirt clashed against Sidon’s ruby scales.

“Link, I was never as good of a healer as my sister, but I promise. I promise to always take care of you, all your wounds, pains, and sorrows. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could live without you. Please, stay alive for me? I…I simply…I…”

Link pulled back, his blue eyes reflected the glow of the room. 

_I’ll stay with you._

Then, Link put one hand on Sidon’s face, caressing it. Then, he signed.

_And_

_I love you too._

Sidon, in a bit of shock, let his mouth hang agape. His sharp teeth gleamed with the sparkles of the room. Then, he allowed himself to smile, and leaned his cheeks further into Link’s hand. The two of them stared at each other, adoration and warmth colored both of their faces. The air was crisp and cool, and the sky was still young. It was safe, and for a moment they could forget about the monsters of the outside world.

What a beautiful calm after the storm.


End file.
